So apparently 1 billion or so people are now on Facebook -- 1 BILLION. Though that's roughly 1/7 of the entire population of the world, there are still the few, the proud who hold out. Why do some of these mysterious people decide to steer clear?
1. No offense, 'friends,' but I don't care that much
Believe it or not, some people aren't into the constant feed of minutiae dribbling from the updates of pseudo-friends all day. These people think it's totally okay to live life without knowing what all of their high school acquaintances are up to (and after all, you usually don't need Facebook to connect to the most important people in your life!)
@hlntv Tried it for awhile, didn't want to waste my time hearing what people I have not seen for 20 years are doing that day!
— linda j page (@Linda_J_Page) October 4, 2012
@hlntv I do not like all that nonsense that people post. I don't need to know what you do every minute of your life.
— Peter E. Maldonado (@MonsterPeter21) October 4, 2012
@webanna Don't see the value. Don't care about long lost 'friends'. Don't need that for keeping in touch with family.@bendre
— Meghana Bendre (@meghana27) October 4, 2012
2. It's called a 'personal life' for a reason
On the flip side, some people aren't down with sharing the details of their life online. Sometimes, even though it may seem like a safe and supportive environment, taking your private life online can backfire.
@hlntv cause I like to keep my personal life....well...PERSONAL! #toomuchdrama
— Ben Breault (@Braugles) October 4, 2012
@webanna well I find that I get all the social media interaction I want from twitter. But initially I didn't join bc of my ex-husband.
— Kirsten Lovelace (@KirstenLovelace) October 4, 2012
3. Life is better lived offline
Who needs an online life when real life is so much better? That's some folks' reasoning for steering clear of social networking. All those friends you love so much? They exist in the flesh, too, and for some, that's way better than a Facebook chat.
#HLNYourTake I think fb takes you away from your real life, adds more stress and wastes a lot of (cont) tl.gd/jhdd5c
— Faryal Mallick (@FarruMe) October 4, 2012
@hlntv bc I value privacy, family time and knowing that much mundane info about "friends" is draining. Life should be lived in person.
— savannah(@savana0426) October 4, 2012
4. Safety, safety, safety
If you have small children, or are worried about privacy concerns, Facebook can seem like one, big, billion-people-strong red flag. Sure, you could fiddle with privacy settings and be super vigilant. Or you could just not worry about it at all and go on living life.
@hlntv privacy concerns!! #HLNYourTake
— Allie Olsen (@EveesMom) October 4, 2012
@hlntvNot on facebook because it requires too much personal information to be shared
— Cathy Robbins (@catcdr) October 4, 2012
@hlntv I'm not on Facebook bc I value my privacy!
— Courtney Ackley (@cocoelam) October 4, 2012
And, of course, one of life's rich ironies: If not on Facebook, what are your thoughts on Twitter?
If you're not on FB, highly unlikely you're on Twitter. RT @hlntv: Tell us why you are not on Facebook. #HLNYourTake
— Marissa Stabler (@MarissaStabler) October 4, 2012
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